Since stepping into their roles as Interim Co-CEOs in March, Rouba Anka and Lisa D’Annunzio have brought experience, passion, and a steadfast commitment to advancing refugee rights through their leadership at Asylum Access.
Rouba’s journey from war-torn Beirut and the south of Lebanon to her current role is marked by her experience of forced displacement. Her dedication to human rights is deeply personal, as she has lived through the very challenges that Asylum Access strives to address.
Lisa’s path to Asylum Access is driven by her commitment to challenging power and injustice. With a background in human rights law, she has always sought to advocate for individual rights and influence public policy. Lisa’s admiration for our values and willingness to challenge the status quo inspired her to take on the role of Interim Co-CEO alongside Rouba.
Together, Rouba and Lisa embody a leadership team united by their shared vision and complementary expertise. Their collaboration, rooted in deep trust and mutual respect, ensures a balanced approach to leadership. They are committed to ensuring stability at Asylum Access during this transitional period, reimagining shared leadership, and completing strategic planning to secure the organization’s future. With their combined strengths in finance, operations, fundraising, and human rights advocacy, they will lead Asylum Access toward a future where forcibly displaced people’s rights are universally recognized and protected.
Can you each share a bit about your background and what led you to join Asylum Access?
Rouba: I’m originally from the south of Lebanon, and my family was displaced to Beirut. I’ve faced war and insecurity for my entire life. As an adult, I was forced to leave my country and seek asylum in Canada. Just a few days ago, after five years of being away from my home country seeking asylum and safety, I arrived in Lebanon only to find myself once again in the middle of terrifying bombings, fearing for my life and the life of my family. I faced the same agonizing challenges of finding a way to flee, and my heart broke as I left my loved ones behind, witnessing how my people continue to suffer—whether they choose to stay or flee. Being away from my home country is deeply painful. I’ve lived through the trauma and uncertainty that my people continue to endure every day, and I remain deeply concerned for the fate of my country and its people.
When I learned about Asylum Access, I saw myself in the organization and its mission. Everything I had experienced in my life led me to join this team. With over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits, particularly in the areas of finance and operations, I felt my skill set and lived experience would make me a strong member of Asylum Access leadership.
Lisa: I’ve always questioned and challenged power and injustice, even at a young age. This led me to pursue law school and study human rights law. I wanted to develop a skill set that would allow me to advocate for human rights on both an individual and public policy level.
I joined the Asylum Access team in 2016 because I wanted to work for an organization that was fighting for people’s human rights, but one that also had the humility to constantly question our organization’s approach, impact, and even structure. When I think about Asylum Access, I think about values. This is truly a values-based organization that strives to improve, owns its mistakes, learns from them, and grows. Asylum Access was founded in 2005 to ensure refugees had access to human rights (there were very few NGOs focusing on refugees’ human rights at that time), and in 2018 we became one of the first organizations who were vocal about the needed power shifts in our sector, including within our own organization. I realized early on that Asylum Access was willing to shake up the status quo, and I wanted to be part of that.
Can you share a personal story or experience that has shaped your understanding of refugee issues?
Rouba: I’ve been personally affected by forced displacement for my entire life, but two of my most significant experiences were the July 2006 war and the August 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut. In July 2006, my hometown of Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon, along with many areas of the country, was bombed by Israel. My family was displaced to northern Lebanon until the war ended.
The August 4, 2020 blast in Beirut was a similarly traumatizing experience. In the aftermath of the blast, no one could communicate, and we had to wait in agony to learn who had survived. Most of the capital was destroyed, and I lost everything in that one second.
I truly understand what it’s like to feel unsafe in your country, and not know what to do or where to go. My family is now scattered around the world and Lebanon because we have been running from violence our entire lives. I love my country dearly, and there is nothing I want more than to plan a future for myself in Lebanon. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for me—just as it isn’t for millions of other people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes.
Lisa: When the United States pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, I worked with a few Afghan families who needed to evacuate and find long-term protection outside of the country. At that time, I hadn’t been involved in direct client work since being a Legal Advocate at Asylum Access Tanzania (now Dignity Kwanza) in 2012. These sorts of efforts were not part of my development and communications role, but as an advocate, and as a US citizen whose young adult life was marked by the US involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I felt compelled to help.
The chaos and horror of those first weeks will stay with me forever. There was no safe or easy pathway to evacuate people; every option was extremely dangerous and uncertain. Among these families were young children, and as a mother myself, I couldn’t imagine the anguish of not knowing if you and your children would survive. Even if you did, there was no guarantee you’d reach a country where your children could access education and have a future. It’s absolutely crazy to me that anyone thinks this is okay. Refugees should be supported and welcomed with dignity, full stop. Instead, we are unfortunately seeing a world that’s becoming increasingly xenophobic and where the pathways for refugees to find long-term safety are decreasing.
What motivated you to step into the role of Co-CEOs?
Rouba: We are both deeply committed to Asylum Access and were willing to do whatever was needed to support the organization and lead us into our next chapter. We knew we were well-positioned to take on the role of Co-CEOs because of our complementary experience and expertise, our close friendship and the trust and respect we have for each other, and because we have an amazing and deeply committed global leadership team who were all willing to step up with us.
What are the primary goals you aim to achieve together as Co-CEOs?
Lisa: In the first few months of our tenure, our primary goal was to stabilize the organization by ensuring that our staff, clients, partners, and donors feel supported during this time of transition. Beyond stabilization, we see our leadership as an opportunity to catalyze the transformation Asylum Access has been pushing for in our organization and our sector over the past few years. We recently restarted our strategic planning process, which had been on hold for a while, and we are looking forward to completing this in the next few months. Our discussions are being informed by our commitment to decolonization and addressing power imbalances. We are also starting a parallel process of evaluating and defining what a new shared leadership model could look like for Asylum Access. We are proud to be leading an organization that has the courage to challenge our own status quo and make the changes necessary to stay true to our values and our vision for impact.
What is your shared vision for the organization over the interim period?
Rouba: At the local level, our vision is that our teams continue working in partnership with forcibly displaced communities in Mexico, Malaysia, and Thailand as those communities demand their rights and access to justice. At the global level, our Partnerships team will continue promoting equitable partnerships and meaningful refugee participation within our sector. Internally, we envision this period as a time of deep reflection and learning, helping us decide collectively who we want to become in the future. As Co-CEOs, it is our responsibility to provide our teams with the support necessary to carry out all this critical work.
How has your experience working as Co-CEOs been?
Lisa: Partnering with Rouba as Co-CEOs has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire career. Our partnership has been so natural and organic. We were already very close colleagues before taking on these roles, so we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well, and there is a deep trust between us. It also helps that our respective areas of expertise complement each other.
Rouba: I agree with Lisa; we have a wonderful and supportive partnership, and are able to lean on each other when times are tough. We are also grateful for our incredible global leadership team whose commitment to our clients and to Asylum Access’ mission knows no bounds. Their support during this transition and interim period has meant so much to us.
What strengths do each of you bring to the table, and how do you complement each other?
Lisa: Rouba is our finance, audit, and operations expert, while my background is in fundraising, communications, and human rights law. Together, we cover a broad range of expertise. While we are always available to each other as thought partners on any topic, I defer to Rouba on her areas of expertise and vice versa.
Rouba: Another strength Lisa and I both bring to the table is our curiosity. The CEO role is new for us, and we are committed to learning and growing. We seek advice and support when we are in doubt, and we help each other understand other perspectives. The combination of Lisa’s allyship and learned experience of forced displacement, along with my lived experience of forced displacement, creates a strong and impactful partnership. Not only do we naturally bring different perspectives to this work, but we also embody our belief that everyone has a role to play in advancing refugee leadership and human rights.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing refugee communities today, and how can our organization address these challenges?
Rouba: Refugee communities continue to face bias, xenophobia, and discrimination, even in countries that are perceived as welcoming. Refugee issues are inherently political, and it’s horrifying to watch politicians using fear-based anti-refugee rhetoric for their personal gain. This xenophobic narrative causes immediate and long-term harm to forcibly displaced communities and often leads to laws and policies that oppress refugee families.
Asylum Access breaks down barriers preventing refugees from rebuilding their lives. In addition to providing direct legal assistance to help refugee communities navigate confusing legal processes, we provide training to employers and government officials on refugees’ rights and the tremendous contributions forcibly displaced people make to their host communities. We also are deeply committed to refugee self-representation and ensuring that refugees are leading the solutions and decisions affecting their lives.
What message would you like to send to our supporters and potential donors about the importance of our work?
Lisa: The number of people displaced today is so high it’s almost incomprehensible. We see news of more and more families being displaced by war, climate change, and other causes around the world. This issue affects all of us. Forced displacement is an experience that we may all face at some point. Asylum Access exists to ensure that people fleeing for their lives are not arrested and treated like criminals; that they are treated with the dignity that all humans deserve, and that they have access to long-term solutions that allow their families and communities to thrive.
In closing, what are your hopes for the future of the organization and the communities we serve?
Lisa: Our hope for Asylum Access is that we continue to speak truth to power, lead with our values, and have the humility to always question our approaches and ways of working, and be willing to adapt.
Rouba: We hope for a world where refugees lead decisions and solutions that affect their lives, and they can access their human rights and rebuild their lives wherever they are. This is the world Asylum Access has been, and will continue to be, working towards.